


Brave of heart

by Always111



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22806973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Always111/pseuds/Always111
Summary: Draco spent his life being groomed for Slytherin, but there's a part of him that wonders if it was all a mistake. When he meets the world-renowned child hero Harry Potter, he knows exactly where he belongs- at his side.A Drarry fic. I ship it.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. The Sorting

**Author's Note:**

> I dedicate this fanfiction to my friend, Sarah F, my incredible Slytherin friend.   
> To all of you amazing people out there; you're beautiful and you are loved. Enjoy!

Draco filed off the Hogwarts Express behind Crabbe and Goyle, his eyes on the back of Harry's retreating head. He'd never met the boy before, although he'd seen him in his compartment on the express, and had immediately noticed Harry's soft green eyes and messy hair. 

Draco knew all about Harry Potter. His father, Lucius, had brought him up hating everything to do with Harry; Lucius had made sure of that. 

The evening hummed with anticipation and excitement. Children and teenagers, bodies pressed close, struggled through the station, juggling their cages full of owls and various trunks. The first years were being hailed by a large, bearded man, who stood head and shoulders above the tallest boy in the school.

"Firs' years! Firs' years! Over here!"

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle changed direction and approached the large man. Harry was now speaking to him like an old friend. Beside Harry was a freckled, red-head Weasley, a plump boy with a worried expression on his face and a bushy-haired girl with large front teeth. Draco tried not to follow Harry with his eyes.

"Everyone here? Righ', you lot! Follow me!" roared the man, and the group moved off down a rocky path. Crabbe and Goyle stumbled clumsily down the slippery path, silent. Draco watched Harry talk with the Weasley, slight jealousy inside him. He pushed it down.

"Two to a boat, everyone in!" roared the man, getting into his own boat. Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle and rolled his eyes. "Goyle, come with me. Crabbe, go with Pansy," he ordered, choosing the lighter of the two. The two boys shuffled into the boats as Draco had ordered and the whole fleet took off across the lake, gliding along the silken water of the lake. Harry trailed his fingers in the water for a moment and Draco did the same, subconsciously. As the boats gently came to a halt underneath a rocky overhang, Draco scrambled out with a yelp; a toad had surfaced from beneath his seat.

"Allrigh', that everyone?" asked the man, who was counting as the children disembarked. "You there, this your toad?"

"Trevor!" cried the plump boy blissfully, holding out his hands. Draco followed Crabbe and Goyle up the grassy slope to two enormous doors. Hagrid flung open the doors and up the stairs they went, then were directed to wait in a chamber. There was muffled whispering and talking. Draco leaned against the stair rail and spoke up.

"It's true then, what they're all saying," he said loudly so that everyone heard. Harry turned toward him. "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

Whispers broke out as all eyes turned to Harry and his scar. Draco smiled a little.

"This is Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy." Draco moved toward Harry a little, giving off an aura of confidence. "Draco Malfoy."

The Weasley sniggered and Draco's head snapped to him. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley." Draco spat, his bias rising up inside him. He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out that some Weasley families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

Draco held out a hand. Harry looked at him and shook his head. "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," Harry said. There were 'oohs' from the children. A hand clamped onto Draco's shoulder and he moved out of the way of a teacher, scowling at Harry. Inwardly he felt hurt and rebuffed. He hadn't done anything to Harry to deserve that sort of attitude! How dare he?

"That will be all, Mr Malfoy," said the professor, smiling a little. "I am Professor McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts."

"In a moment you shall be entering the hall, and undertaking the sorting. This determines which core strengths you possess and place you in your houses, which shall be your families for the remainder of your school life. Intelligence for Ravenclaw, bravery for Gryffindor, ambition for Slytherin and the rest go to Hufflepuff. Please enter now and line up on the stage. Into a line, quickly now!"

The trembling students lined up, Draco finding himself behind Harry, and they entered the hall. 

The roof was an exact replica of the sky outside, stars glowing behind clouds. The hall was lit wth thousands of floating candles. Four great tables stood side by side, filled with students who watched the first-years enter, whispering to each other now and then.

The first-years lined up on the stage and one by one were directed to put on an old hat, which called out their houses. Draco was called last.

The hat slipped down over his face and he waited. A little voice spoke in his ear.

"What do we have here, hmm? A Malfoy! Never seen one with so much confusion! There is courage, I see, plenty of it; and cleverness, there's ambition too. Now, where shall I put you?"

Draco thought as hard as he could. 'Slytherin! Please!'

"Slytherin, ey?" the hat asked. "You have ambition, but I think I will put you in... Gryffindor!"

This last part was shouted to the hall at large, and Draco froze. Professor McGonagall jerked the hat off.

"Down to your house, please, Mr Malfoy," she said sternly. Draco stood up; his legs weren't working properly. There were shocked whispers across the hall, and Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle were staring at him, open-mouthed. Draco stumbled to the Gryffindor house table and sank down, horrified. He had only one thought going through his mind.

His father was going to _kill _him.__


	2. His father

_Draco knelt on the floor, his eyes on the two shiny black boots in front of him. His father's voice rang out._

_"You have brought shame to the name of Malfoy!" hissed his father, standing perfectly still. "For that, I must punish you. You know what I must do."_

_Draco's quivering body started to tremble a little more at these words. Behind him, his mother rose silently and left. Lucius lifted the cane that held his wand._

_"Bend over," he said sternly. Draco did so, readying himself for the pain as the cane swished down and met his skin with a crack, leaving a smarting red line. Seven more times the cane came down, each time Draco let out an involuntary yelp of pain and tears dripped down his face. Finally, the black boot kicked out and sent Draco sliding along the floor, his face bleeding. Lucius set his cane back down._

_"Take Draco... you know where," he ordered. A servent pulled Draco to his feet and led him downstairs, to his bedroom, and left him there, bleeding, smarting with pain. Draco lay on the ground where the servant had left him, too exhausted to even cry. ___

"Malfoy?"

He awoke to see Dean standing over him, looking worried. It had been two years since the sorting, two horrible years in which he barely went home because of his father. But he couldn't stop having dreams.

"You were screaming in your sleep..." Dean trailed off.

Draco muffled a groan in his pillow and slammed the velvet drapes closed on Dean, rolling over. He was covered in sweat.

"In the name of Merlin..." he heard Dean mutter as his footsteps stomped off.

Draco sat up, got out of bed and began to dress, avoiding eye contact with the other boys in the room. Until Potter took off his shirt. Then he found it _very _hard to tear his eyes away.__

__*****  
"Class, please follow me," the new teacher instructed. Draco, walking on his own as usual, followed the class down corridors and into the staffroom. The cupboard was ratting._ _

__"Neville, if you please," Lupin said after an introduction Draco missed. Neville stepped up to the cupboard door, his hand shaking, as Lupin directed his wand at the handle and it swung open. Snape stepped out, swooping toward Neville, when... "Riddikulus!" and he staggered, wearing a moth-eaten owl hat with a green handbag and lacy dress. Draco let out the breath he'd been holding. A boggart. Just his luck._ _

__"Draco!" called Lupin, and the crowd parted for him. Draco moved forward, held out a wand. The boggart turned toward him._ _

__Lucius Malfoy, face covered in a death eater's mask, stepped threateningly toward Potter, raising a wand. Draco couldn't remember the counter-charm. His hand shaking, he stammered "Rid-"_ _

__"Riddikulus!" roared Lupin, jumping in front of Harry before it got too close. It turned into a pale orb, then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Lupin turned toward Draco for a moment, then called "dismissed. Draco, hang back a minute?"_ _

__Draco waited impatiently as the class left, casting him dark looks. Lupin tidied his books into his bag and looked at Draco kindly._ _

__"Correct me if I'm wrong, but was your greatest fear... your father killing Harry?"_ _

__Draco flushed bright red. "No," he spat. "That's none of your business, you stupid man."_ _

__Lupin nodded a little and pushed some books into his drawer. He straightened up and spoke mildly._ _

__"I've gone through what you're going through right now," he said evasively, for Draco's benefit. "If you find something works, don't hesitate to let the world know. It's never fun bottling it all up."_ _

__Draco stared at him, spun on his heel and strode from the room. Lupin called after him. "Close the door behind you, please."_ _

__Draco slammed it and leaned against the wall outside, breathing heavily. Tears clouded his vision as his eyes fell on the scarlet tie he was wearing. This was all so wrong, going against everything he'd been taught since he could talk, but it also felt... natural. Like something everyone did._ _

__Hearing footsteps, Draco disappeared down the corridor away from the public so he could cry his aching heart out._ _


End file.
